Spain will kickoff their 2022 World Cup campaign against Costa Rica on Wednesday, November 23.
Luis Enrique's side loom as real dark horses in Qatar and will hope to start the Qatar tournament with a convincing win.
Costa Rica only qualified for this World Cup after a 1-0 continental playoff win over New Zealand.
Spain did fall short of expectations four years ago, winning just one of four games before being knocked out by hosts Russia on penalties in the round of 16.
MORE: Charting Ronaldo and Messi's incredible journey to their final World Cup
Spain vs. Costa Rica live stream, TV channel
This Group E match will take place at 7 p.m. local time in Qatar at the Al Thumama Stadium.
This is one of the biggest mismatches of the World Cup group stage, though Costa Rica will do everything in its power to hold off Euro 2020 semifinalists Spain. Goal-scoring issues have plagued Spain in past international tournaments, but they can get off on the right foot if they can break through early and often against Los Ticos.
Here's how you can watch all the action in the major global territories.
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Wed, Nov. 23 | 11:00 ET | Fox, Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Peacock |
| Canada | Wed, Nov. 23 | 11:00 EST | TSN 1/3/4, RDS (French) | TSN site/app, RDS app |
| UK | Wed, Nov. 23 | 16:00 GMT | ITV 1, STV (Scotland) | ITV Hub / ITVX, STV Player (Scotland) |
| Australia | Thu, Nov. 24 | 03:00 AEDT | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Wed, Nov. 23 | 21:30 IST | Sports18 | Voot, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Thu, Nov. 24 | 00:00 HKT | Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Thu, Nov. 24 | 00:00 MYT | Astro, Unifi, TV2, TV Okey, Sukan RTM | Astro GO, RTMKlik |
| Singapore | Thu, Nov. 24 | 00:00 SGT | StarHub (Ch. 251/252), Singtel TV | Singtel TV GO, CAST, StarHub TV+, MeWatch |
| New Zealand | Thu, Nov. 24 | 05:00 NZDT | Prime TV, Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports | Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW |
MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)
Spain vs. Costa Rica lineups
Spain will be without right-back Jose Gaya who sprained his ankle in training recently and will now miss the World Cup. Mikel Oyarzabal is also absent in Qatar after he suffered an ACL tear in March.
Spain (4-3-3, right to left): 23. Simon (GK) — 20. Carvajal, 3. Garcia, 4. P. Torres, 15. Laporte — 9. Gavi, 8. Koke, 16. Rodri — F. Torres, 10. Asensio, 7. Fati.
Keylor Navas remains under an injury cloud for Costa Rica after picking up a back injury earlier this month but reports suggest he will start against Spain.
Costa Rica (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Navas (GK) — 16. Martinez, 2. Chacon, 6. Duarte, 8. Oviedo — 14. Salas, 5. Borges — 25. Hernandez, 10. Ruiz, 26. Zamora — 12. Campbell.
Spain 🤝 Beautiful team goals
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 23, 2022
Some things just work together.
🇪🇸 @SEFutbol pic.twitter.com/25BN7DFolj
Spain vs. Costa Rica odds, prediction
It's hard to see anything other than a Spain win in this match and the current odds highlight that fact.
A draw would be a win for Costa Rica and a goal for both sides looks to provide the best value when it comes to a possible betting angle.
Prediction: Spain to win 3-1
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and LadBrokes (Australia).
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | LadBrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain win | -650 | 1.12 | 1/9 | 1/7 |
| Draw | +650 | 7.36 | 7/1 | 13/2 |
| Costa Rica win | +1800 | 20.00 | 25/1 | 22/1 |
| Both teams to score Y / N | +190 / -275 | 2.75 / 1.34 | 2/1, 4/11 | 15/8, 4/11 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | -155 / +110 | 1.66 / 2.15 | 8/13, 6/5 | 8/13, 6/5 |
| Spain -2.5 | +135 | 1.52 | — | — |
| Costa Rica +2.5 | -190 | 2.48 | — | — |
